The Jack-o-Lantern: A brief history.

     Have you ever stopped to wonder why you carve a scary face into that pumpkin every October, besides the fact that it’s fun? No? Well, here’s why:

     The story of the jack-o-lantern comes originally from Ireland. There once was a man called “Stingy Jack” and he was a dirty trickster. There are several versions of how he did it, but somehow he struck a bargain with the devil that he would not take Jack’s soul for a year. When Jack died an old man, Heaven wouldn’t have him and the Devil was still angry that he’d been tricked into the bargain and wouldn’t let him in either. Jack was left to wander between Heaven and Hell. He asked the devil how he was supposed to see because it was so dark and the devil laughingly tossed him a burning ember from the fires of hell. This Jack put into a carved-out turnip that he’d had in his pocket. Thus “Jack of the lantern” wandered for eternity. On All Hallows Eve, when souls like Jack’s were said to wander the earth, the superstitious Irish would place carved potatoes and other vegetables with candles on their window sills and doorways to scare away these spirits from their homes. It was only when the tradition came to America with Irish immigrants did the vegetable change to the larger, more easily carved pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo- which was native to the Americas.

Random Pumpkin Facts:

• The  largest pumpkin ever grown (on record) weighed 1,140 pounds
• Pumpkins are members of the squash family and are fruits.
• Pumpkins were once used to cure freckles and snake bites.

Jessica Watters, GCLP                                Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

Beneficial Bugs: Lacewing

     Besides being an ingredient in polyjuice potion* the lacewing fly is also helpful as a predatory insect. It is actually bred specifically to be released into greenhouses to control pest populations and reduce the amount of pesticides needed! The lacewings are sold and distributed as eggs because when kept in close quarters they’ll turn cannibalistic. The eggs are then distributed through a garden, greenhouse, or field and the eggs hatch and the larvae eat problem insects. One lacewing can eat as many as 150 aphids a week! The list of pest bugs that the lacewing eats is too long to put here, but they are especially keen on mealy bugs and aphids.

    The most common lacewing in North America is the green lacewing which is about 15mm long, with very large wings and bright gold eyes. The larvae are freaky looking, see the photo of the one eating an aphid. They have large pincers that are used to suck the insides out of their prey (yum!)

     Now, don’t get these guys confused with lacebugs, ‘cause lacebugs are bad guys. They cause leaf damage to azaleas and pieris and such.

   *Polyjuice potion is from the Harry Potter books; a potion that when drunk allows you to take on the appearance of another person. Yes, I am nerd in more respects than just plants...

Jessica Watters, GCLP                    Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

Native Plant of the Month

Nyssa sylvatica: Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sourgum

     This lovely native is a medium/large sized tree that grows to 60-80’ tall and half as wide. The feature that I love about this plant is its fall color. It gets out shown by maples due to their sheer numbers but the color is truly spectacular: brilliant red to purplish in early autumn.
     The blackgum is native to pretty much the entirety of the east coast of North America. It will tolerate most soil conditions except for prolonged wet soil. It will also take any sun exposure, but will have better fall color with some sun.
     Its availability in garden centers is limited but not unheard of. It will probably not be in stock at your standard garden center but it is out there. Find a nursery that has a broader range of stock than just the ‘builder’s special’ items, or one that specializes in natives. If they don’t have it, they’ll surely order it for you.

Jessica Watters, GCLP                 Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College